How Weather Radar Works

I break down the history of weather radar, the science behind the technology, explain the radar infrastructure system in the United States, dive into the derivations of radar products, and the limitations of weather radar.
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[@pcalna3202]

What a great video. I knew the basics about the various angles it could tilt to and how doppler is used to detect rotation, for example, but I had no idea how it could be used in combination with ground observations to calculate true wind speed. The minute you got into pulses out of phase (if that's the right term? Rotated?) I said uh-oh, here we go, right back to physics 108 and I'm gonna die, but you brought it right back to earth and showed what it means in terms of determining if the precipitation is all rain versus a cow and a telephone pole being thrown around. And on top of it, an explanation of some of the shortcomings (some of which I've noticed and always wondered about), that the pros need to be able to identify as falses. I just don't know how to give a video more stars. NWS should link to this from their home page. What a service you have done for anyone with an interest in understanding how this technology actually works and everything it can do. Excellent job good sir. Thank you!!🙇🏻‍♂️

[@junefirst]

Glad you found that the concepts translated well! Radar science is something you can get way into the weeds with and I tried hard to keep it digestible. Thanks for the really nice comment, Cheers!

[@colinsutter6982]

A couple of weeks ago I was questioning how weather radars worked. Great video that answered all my wonderings.

[@junefirst]

Very happy to hear that! Glad you enjoyed.

[@poparip]

Thanks so much! I'm 75 years old and sad to say, never explored this interesting topic. Thanks to you, I now have a pretty good grasp of what doppler radar is and how it works. This presentation indicates to me you have a very bright future! Keep up the good work!

[@highriskchris]

Great video dude, you're giving me Veritasium vibes

[@junefirst]

Thank you, Chris! That’s quite the company to be compared to.

[@warrion0045]

Actually such a high quality video dude, keep it up

[@nathanshelton9983]

Great video as always I absolutely love this video format/editing

[@thebroderickhoward]

Nice! I never knew how radars actyally worked! Great job!

[@tornadopaigeyy]

Great video! The way you can break down complicated information into something that most can understand is wonderful. Keep it up!

[@OriginalRaveParty]

Brilliant clear information and graphics. Thank you for such high quality work 👍

[@steepatticstairs1478]

This is an awesome video, you did an incredible job. You explained things perfectly, with great visuals to go along with it. You’ve earned a new subscriber. Keep up the great work! 👏💪

[@junefirst]

Thank you! I appreciate it!!

[@OHWXisgaming]

NWS Wilmington did a great job that day issuing warnings

[@effectsem]

God i remember this. I was south of this storm in the Monroe area, housing a family friend from Dayton. It looked awful from where I was, but was worse when we drove him back.

[@melissasalasblair5273]

Thanks so much!!

[@westkana]

I've lived in that radar hole in central NC, it amazes me that the NWS has not installed a radar site, especially since Charlotte is within that hole. Especially recently as the GSP radar was down (the closest radar to Charlotte), the city had very poor coverage as it was relying on radars from Columbia, Raleigh, and Blacksburg

[@atypical13thtwin15]

So for the North Lights recently being able to be viewed in the mid-west we were able to go out and watch them. We were right by a Doppler Radar not knowing what effect it could have on the human body. The skies right above us we're pulsating with the Aurora Borealis. It was like watching the green lights being cut and pulsated above our heads. We literally were parked under the radar for awhile. Then not far away from it maybe less than 200 feet from it. But we were there for a couple hours.
Do you think we could be harmed from the radio waves? We've been taking activated charcoal. But my youngest son has not been.

[@junefirst]

WSR wavelengths at ~10 cm, which are very large in terms of radiated waves. Unhealthy radiation is on the opposite end of the scale (UV light, for example) where the wavelengths are very small (usually in nanometers).
Since the radar is also sending pulses in a single direction, it’s not a constant source of radiation, and even then, it’s not one of the concerning wavelengths.
As far as I’m concerned, the sun is emitting way more dangerous radiation than WSR sites. Hope that helps!

[@sanayc2032]

I loved this video, but I needed to put it at a playback speed of 0.65...
Sorry, but great video! I needed this to study!

[@michaeljoefox]

What is June 1st?

[@mikefromflorida8357]

This is a great video, but I wish you would not talk over music. More of us than you might think have a very difficult time separating your voice from the music. The music is not at all necessary and I just don’t understand why you TH-camrs think it’s such a great thing to do.